Phoenix Dance Theatre has appointed Sharon Watson as its new Artistic Director and Lesley Jackson as its new Executive Director. Watson is a dancer and choreographer who has lectured at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Jackson has been Director of the West Yorkshire Playhouse, and a trustee of Full Body and the Voice, a theatre company of adults with learning disabilities.
Judith Aitkin (pictured), Education Manager at Eden Court, is to become Head of Learning at Colchester’s FirstSite.
Midlands Arts Centre has appointed Amanda Roberts in the role of Arts Development Director and Ross White as Business Development Director. Roberts moves from Contact Theatre in Manchester where she was Executive Producer, and White was most recently General Manager for the Students’ Guild at Aston University,
Beki Bateson is the new Executive Director of LIFT. She is currently Festival Director of Greenbelt and will take up her position in November.
Andy Locke (pictured) is now Marketing Director at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. He was previously Director of Marketing for ‘Chicago’.
Elizabeth Adlington has been appointed as Chief Executive of the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. She is also the Chief Executive of Milton Keynes Theatre and will be responsible for both.
Northumberland Theatre Company has appointed Michelle Huitson as its Design Management Associate, and Ben Steppenbeck as its Production Management Associate.
The Creative Industries Development Agency has made two appointments. Paul Robinson (pictured) is the new Financial Director and Jennie Cunliffe (pictured) is Business Development Executive.
Sandra Newton is the new Chair of the Board of Trustees of Museums Sheffield.
Professor Dai Smith has been reappointed as the Chair of the Arts Council of Wales.
Suzanne Cotter is to step down from her role as Senior Curator at Modern Art Oxford in December, to continue her curatorial research.
Geraldine Collinge is the Royal Shakespeare Company’s new Director of Events and Exhibitions. She is currently Director of the performance poetry organisation Apples & Snakes.
Apples & Snakes has a new Programme Co-ordinator for the South East. Pete Hunter, who is also a performance poet, will be based at Nuffield Theatre, Southampton.
After 10 years as General Manager at The Spa, Bridlington, Jeremy Hartill is taking up the post of Executive Manager for Scarborough Borough Council.
Dance South West has appointed three new members of staff: Ian Abbott (pictured) is Participation Programme Manager for Pavilion Dance; June Gamble (pictured) is Co-ordinating Producer for Plymouth Dance; and Louise Portlock (pictured) has joined in the new post of Dance and Health Regional Lead for the South West.
Chris Allen has joined the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic as Head of Fundraising, replacing Claire Hughes, who returns to her work as a fundraising consultant.
Claire Taylor (pictured) is the new Marketing Co-ordinator at Urbis in Manchester. She was previously Renaissance Support Officer at East Riding in Yorkshire.
Screen South, the Regional Screen Agency for the South East, has appointed Nicole Dade and David Castro as Co-Heads of Production Development and Training, replacing Miranda Robinson, who goes on maternity leave for the next year. Dade is currently Head of Development at Atlantic Film Group, and Castro is a freelance consultant.
Clarification from AP200:
Kate Wood has been Director of Activate Performing Arts since 2005.
Leeds-based Yorkshire Dance has named two Associated Artists, Gary Clarke and Douglas Thorpe.